Kukla's Korner Hockey

While attempting to handicap the Dallas Stars' coaching search, the Dallas News's Mike Heika reports that Stars GM Jim Nill is looking for a coach with the "right vibe" for his team:He’s out there talking to coaches right now, and he’s just trying to find the right fit. Nill does a lot of research, he talks to a lot of people, he studies numbers, he ponders playing styles. But he really believes in “gut feeling.’’

Here’s what he said earlier this month: “I know what I’m looking for, but so much of it is just feel. You’ll know when the right fit is there.’’

That’s sort of how Nill settled on the Stars’ job. He did his research, he studied the organization and where it sits, but he said he knew as soon as he talked to owner Tom Gaglardi that this was the right place for him to become a GM. He said he felt it, and he said he really would like to be here for decades. That’s just how he envisions things.

Nill is up in Toronto for the NHL Draft Combine, and he said he will not be revealing who he talks to in his coach search. He would like the protect the privacy of the process for both sides.

But he will reveal “how’’ he is talking to these coaches. He said he will be having formal interviews with some in hotel rooms, he will be taking some to lunch or dinner, he will be talking to some while watching the combine.

He’s looking for a vibe, and that comes at different times in a process.